1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a collector module unit, known as a PYROPEG solar cell module unit, for absorbing heat from incident solar energy and removing the absorbed heat by a heat transfer liquid, and particularly to a low cost solar cell module design and method of fabrication and assembling of a linear solar cell collector module unit. Such low cost solar cell module design and method of fabrication and assembling materially contributes to a more efficient use and conservation of energy that becomes accessible to many more people through out the world, especially those in underserved areas and communities. This lends too many more people using solar as an alternative green energy source, which automatically reduces greenhouse gases, thereby enhancing the quality of the environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to ever increasing usage of non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels, much attention is being directed toward solar energy. Solar energy has been found to be effective in providing space and water heating.
In the prior art, many solar heat collectors are attractive in performance but lack in cost-effectiveness in design, fabrication and assembling. Many of the prior art solar heat collector systems require several years of operation to return the initial investment, turning many potential users away from solar energy as an alternative energy source. Therefore, there is a huge need for a simple, efficient and most importantly, an inexpensive solar heat collector module unit.
Over the years, many patents have been issued for collecting and transferring solar heat energy. Some of the solar collector module units of these patents generally have their components located within an enclosure comprising one or more elongated, generally rectangular heat absorbing metallic panels, each comprising two relatively thin plates of heat absorbing metal, such as aluminum or copper, which are deformed to tightly enclose about a plurality of parallel heat transfer pipes, preferably made of copper. The upper plate of heat absorbing metal covers substantially the top semi-cylindrical portions of the heat transfer fluid conducting pipes, while the lower plate is deformed to surround the bottom semi-cylindrical portions of the fluid transfer pipes.
The plates and pipes are secured together by a plurality of metallic rivets, staples or other means, preferably of stainless steel, which traverses the edges of the pipe enclosing deformed portions of the two plates. Thus, the pipes are effectively resiliently secured in position, thereby readily accommodating differences in expansion of the plates and the heat transfer fluid pipes.
The frame for embodying these solar collector module units are fabricated from U-shaped stainless steel of aluminum channels which are bolted or welded together. The ends of the plates are bolted to oppose channels. Headers for the heat transfer fluid conduits are welded to opposite ends of the plates, hence permitting a single passage of heat transfer fluid across the length of the heat absorbing plates or, by appropriate design of the internal configuration of the headers.
This design arrangement allows the heat transfer fluid to be directed along one portion of the heat absorbing plates in one direction to a second header and returned along the remaining portion of the heat absorbing plates in the opposite direction to exit from a first header at the same end that the heat transfer fluid entered the first header. In addition, conventional pads of rigid foam type insulation may be supported by bottom frame elements secured to the channels beneath the heat absorbing plates. A standard dimension of glazing material, such as glass or suitable transparent plastic, may be sealingly secured to the top surfaces of the channels forming the frame for the solar collector module units.
In another prior art solar collector heat exchanger unit design, manufacture of such solar collector heat exchanger units are made in a very simple way by a mechanical rolling process. This process is defined by a rolling device with a groove means for compressing a pair of aluminum strips and a copper pipe lying between the pair of aluminum strips. The rolling device includes a pair of rollers and grooves disposed therein and are positioned directly opposite one another and having a shape corresponding to the shape of a pipe that is fed between the aluminum strips, so that a heat exchanger member with a greater total wall thickness at the pipe portion than at the fin portion is obtained after the passage of the strips and the copper pipe between the rollers.
Also, a guide means is positioned in front of the rollers and there between for supporting the pipe as the strips and the pipe are fed between the pair of rollers, so that the copper pipe is fed centrally to the grooves in the rolls.
Note that it is not necessary that the rolling process application have to include the pair of separate sheet strips, but it can be a single strip sheet that can be folded along its middle for forming two strip portions can be utilized just as well. Each of the separate strips or strip portions can have mating pre-deformed cavities for receiving the flattened or deformed pipe or one of the folded strips can be substantially flat without a pre-deformed cavity and the other folded strip can have a pre-deformed cavity for receiving a pre-deformed cavity having a closed loop configuration so that only one sheet abuts against the copper pipe and welded thereto. Additionally, the folded strip sheet with the closed loop configuration should have a larger width from the beginning, so that this folded strip sheet after the pre-deformation has substantially same width as the other substantial flat strip folded sheet without the pre-deformed cavity.
This permits the peripheral edged to be substantially the same. At one end of the strip sheets, a raised peripheral edge defines a slot there between and spaced to receive the opposite edge of a similar solar collector unit to form a larger heat exchange module. The pre-deformed cavity in each of the separate sheets having a configuration that allows both sheets to abut against the pipe and are welded thereto Also, the copper pipe is pre-flattened in advance.
Another solar collector prior art type shows an upper corrugated-like upper plate panel with an array of crest and valley or dimple sections defining channels there between and a lower generally flat plate panel that is attached to the upper plate panel so that the channels will provide fluid flow paths there through between inlet and outlet fluid headers. The valleys or dimple sections are spot welded to the lower plate panel and the upper plate and lower plate panels are seam welded at their peripheral ends. This seam welding ensures that the volumes of the channel flow paths are water or fluid tight. Note that the valley or dimple sections could be arranged in a rectangular array so that there are a number of parallel lateral flow passages intersected by a number of parallel longitudinal flow passages.
Also, the valley or dimple sections could be arranged in an array so that the flow passages extend in directions with both lateral and longitudinal components that are diagonally extending across the face of the solar collector. Also, it is well know that upper and lower plate panels may be corrugated or dimpled providing the requisite lateral and longitudinal flow paths there between.
This solar collector device includes a casing made of a material, such as, aluminum and comprising a base surrounded by upstanding peripheral walls and having an open top. The interior of the casing below the lower plate panel has insulating material such as polyurethane foam or the like disposed therein. A framework is mounted atop the side walls for closing and covering the open top by a glass sheet or light transparent member by a glazing gasket. The purpose of the glass sheet or light transparent member is to prevent the heated air from the vicinity of the upper plate panel or absorber plate panel from escaping the collector and being lost to the atmosphere.
In conventional solar collector units, the solar energy is incident on absorbed by a metallic plate having so-called “black body” coating thereon which effectively converts it to a black body type heat radiator. This black body surface is encased within a glazing of a transparent ceramic or plastic material and the inner surface of such glazing permits the transfer of light there through, but reflects back towards the heat absorbing black body plate substantially all infrared radiation emitted by the black body plate. As heat is developed in the black body plate, it is then transferred to the fluid pipes or fluid flow paths or channels disposed between the upper and lower plate panels. A layer of insulation is disposed below and/or surrounding the lower surface of the black body plate and the pipes and the fluid flow paths to prevent the loss of heat to the outside of the solar collector units.
The above mentioned prior art solar collector heat exchange units, which take on many different designs and structures are disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,145,707, 3,555,756, 4,056,094, 4,182,308, 4,237,971, 4,245,620, 4,325,359, 5,431,149, 5,576,276, U.S. Publication No. 2004/0060555, and Great Britain Patent No. 2,099,134 to name just a few.
It is apparent that many of the prior art solar collector heat exchange units were designed and constructed to curtail manufacturing costs and time. Many attempted to economically fabricate by utilizing standard shapes and sizes of existing materials, eliminating the need for expensive machining or molding of materials, and eliminating complex installation procedures. However, these prior art solar collector units still lacks a cost effective way of mass producing, assembling and installation in a simple and cheap way in order to be economically attractive.
However, the disclosed invention is designed and constructed to provide a cost effective way of mass producing, assembling and installing in a simple and cheap way in order to be economically attractive and overcome the above cost and time issues. This will attract and allow more people throughout the United Sates and the World to utilize solar energy as an alternative energy source.